Musselman’s Smith chooses West?Florida, warm weather

April 25, 2013

INWOOD - Corisha Smith had two major qualifications for where she wanted to attend college.

First, she wanted to play somewhere warm.

Second, she wanted to play for a quality volleyball program.

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She found both in West Florida University - a college is located in Pensacola, Fla., that features a humid subtropical climate; the program is one of the best in all of Division II volleyball.

The Argos, in return, got one of the best players in the state of West Virginia after Smith signed her letter-of-intent Tuesday.

What it all means is that Smith will continue to play the sport she loves.

"(Volleyball) has been a major part of my life. I'm glad that I get to continue playing it in college," Smith said. "I felt like West Florida was a perfect fit. I wanted to go south, and they have a great program.

"When I first stepped on campus, they wanted to help you, and they made you feel like you were part of the team, even though you weren't yet."

Smith will be going from one powerhouse team to another when she joins West Florida, bringing a ton of talent and experience to the program.

During her four years at Musselman, the Applemen reached the state championship three times, all in the past three years, and won the state title in 2010.

Individually, she was a first-team all-state selection the past two seasons, including this past year as a senior when she recorded 490 kills, 212 digs and 119 serving aces. She reached the 1,000 kill mark this season, as well.

She was also named to the 2012-2013 PrepVolleyball All-American honorable mention team.

"She's an extremely powerful attacker," Musselman coach Shawn Martz said. "She brings a lot of heat when she attacks. She's also got a power jump serve that will serve her well."

Martz thinks Smith will fit well into an Argos program that has dominated the Gulf South Conference of late, winning five straight conference championships. West Florida has also participated in the NCAA South Regional for seven straight years and was ranked No. 17 in NCAA Division II.

"They're one of the top programs in Division II, and they're getting a talented volleyball player," Martz said. "I think (Corisha) is in a great situation, having played in a number of high-quality high school tournaments. She's also put in a lot of hard work and dedication."

That type of commitment to volleyball runs through the Musselman volleyball program and helped Smith out.

"It's prepared me a lot," said Smith of playing for Musselman. "I'm lucky that our high school has a great volleyball program.

"It's been an amazing experience getting to experience the success we've had. Most kids in high school don't get to play for state championships," she said. "Coach Martz was a great coach. He really knows what he's doing, and he gives you that extra push that you need sometimes."

As Smith, readies herself for the college level, she'll be working on her game.

"As I'm going in, I need to work on my defense and passing. I've got the hitting thing down pretty well," she said. "I'm going to be competing right away for playing time."

Smith is looking forward to her time in Florida, and there's no doubt, as an incoming freshman, she'll be getting a warm reception from the Argos.

-Eric Jones can be reached at 304-263-3381, ext. 234, or Twitter @jonesE85